Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-11-24

More About the Arrow Company.

More About the Arrow Company.
The Arrow Steamship Company still af
lords = target for certain newspapers. The
New York Herald keeps up its fusilade
aganst the originators of the Pocahontas
scheme, to. day containing the following
James Stevens, Engineer Flyers assist
ant, yesterday fully corroborated the aft
davit made by ex-Vice President Lancaster
to the effect that the scheme was not to
build the ship in q hurry. Stevens has been
assistant United States Boiler Inspector at
New York, he put the boilers in the Pacific
mail steamers and is an expert in his line.
The story that Mr.. Stevens told is as follows:
~ was engaged By Fryer last March as
his assistant, and agreed to go to A!exan-
dra for 81, 5O0a year. was to take orders
from him and to be paid weekly. moved
nv family down 10 Alexandria, where the
ship was to be built. A little preliminary
work was done, bat nothing carried out as
promised. My wages we're not paid as
agreed, and what did get came in install
ments az low as 50 at time. They made
show OF working on the ways" and eight
men were employed at first. About two
thirds of the work on the ways was done
and then it stopped. 1 had no work to do
and the ship was not begun at all. 1t was
always the old story, 1--WE have no money"
When found that there was no work for
me to do / wanted to resign, but Fryer
would not hear it. He said l must stay
though did no work, as there was mono to
do. Ia July they told me that they had no
money and could get none, as the stock did
not sell readily. Finally [ determined to
send my family back to New York, so |
borrowed 1925 of man who had to have it
returned at the end of the week when he
paid off his men. To my dismay the Arrow
people gave me draft, as they called it, on
their company, which no one would honor
or accept on any terms. l have been try
ing to collect the money that they owe me
-$454 69-but have failed to get dollar
Zone of the most unqualified denuncia.
lions of the Pocahontas scheme is the criti-
cam Of Mr.. Charles Fl. Haswell. formerly
Chief Engineer OF the United States Navy.
He bnilt some Of the first largo steam frig
ates and ships ever put afoat in this coun
try. In response to inquiries the d;stin-
| guisned expert wrote as follows:
Regarding the proposal of the Arrow
Steamship Company to construct steamer
10 accordance with the designs and details
of construction as submitted to me year
ago and then examined, expressed my
opinion, despite the professional reputation
of those who Endorsed the practicability of
the designs, in very decided terms, which
were in effect that they were false in con
ception and that if vessel was constructed
in accordance with them that she would be-
incapable either OF floating or operation
IAN expert who has visited Alexandria
says: Any mar Of ordinary intelligence and
at all acquainted with shipbuilding could
see that they either knew nothing about
shpbuiding or that they were frauds.
They set about dozan men at work with
wheelbNrrows 10 fill in dirt on mud flat
They laid timber crosswise and filled in on
top. The foundation was not fit to build
wooden vessel on. The above foundation
was not finished into fifty feet of the neces
sary length, but they stopped work some
ten weeks ago. They never had over
twelve or fifteen men, laborers, at work at
any one time. The foundation for the keel
was laid on descent of five feet in $40 and
there was double Tier of logs laid on the
cross legs lengthwise to lay the keel on
You will SEQ that the vessel, in going ono
halfher length, would be in the water aft
two and one half feet, and then she would
have ID drop her stern twenty-five feet in
the water and her bow would necessarily 20
up twenty five feet, bringing the whole
weight of the ship three thousand tons) on
one point and if she did not break in two
she would crush anything they could place
there. l should consider il impossible 10
launch on that grade."
The Herald, quoting from the Baltimore
Sun adds: 1.-THE visionary projectors Of the
| great stea mship made contract with roll.
| ing mill in Baltimore to make the plate
| iron to construct the Pocahontas TIE
Baltimore manufacturers made the contract
30 to read that the money must be in hand
before work was begun. AS result the Ar.
row company never coDsumnated the con-
tract and the Baltimore iron worker conse
quently made no preparations to buy mate
rial for the work Another firm, which was
to rvet the plates and set up the frames OF
the Pocahontas, designated that they should
be paid by the week in advance"